EU keeps ban on grizzly bear trophies

[Woody Williams]

EU keeps ban on grizzly bear trophies

Member countries of the European Union have voted unanimously to keep
their doors closed to B.C. grizzly bear trophies because of what EU
scientists say is a failure by the B.C. government to manage its grizzly
bear populations reliably.

The EU first voted to prohibit European trophy hunters from taking B.C.
grizzly bear parts into Europe in January last year, because the
province had failed then to establish any grizzly bear management areas
where hunting would not be allowed.

At the urging of Canadian government officials, 15 EU scientific
committee members revisited the issue Monday, but voted to keep the ban
in place because of B.C.'s continued failure to establish any no-hunting
zones.

"The EU is demanding the establishment of a grizzly management area per
bioclimatic region which is closed to hunting," Ewa Hedlund, an official
at the European Commission, said in a statement from Brussels.

A bioclimatic zone refers to a region mapped by B.C. government
officials according to the region's vegetation, geography and climate.
There are 14 such zones in the province.

In 2003, the EU said it needed "credible evidence" of the government's
intention to establish no-hunting grizzly reserves in each of the 14
zones by December 1 of that year or a ban would be imposed.

About 10 to 15 per cent of all grizzlies killed in B.C. by foreign
hunters were killed by Europeans. The rest of those killed by foreigners
are shot by Americans.

According to statistics obtained through Freedom of Information
legislation, 1,000 grizzlies have been killed in B.C. since the 2001
moratorium was lifted. Foreign hunters killed more than 40 per cent of
them.

Chris Genovali, executive of the Raincoast Conservation Society, called
the EU move important "because the decision is clearly the result of the
B.C. government's failure to protect grizzly bear populations in this
province.

"Despite repeated promises by the government, they've done virtually
nothing to address issues of hunting overkill and questions around their
population estimates of grizzly bears. They've also completely failed to
establish adequate habitat protection for grizzlies."

B.C. Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection Bill Barisoff, said in a
telephone interview Tuesday that he was "disappointed" by the EU ruling
because he said all B.C.'s grizzly management decisions are based on
science.

He said the province continues to look at the issue of establishing
no-hunting zones, but refused to say anything more specific than that.

Barisoff did say, however, that the government would write to the EU to
indicate what B.C. is doing to protect grizzlies and what it will
continue to do in future.

Grizzly hunting has been controversial in the province ever since the
NDP government of then premier Ujjal Dosanjh imposed a moratorium in
2001. Gordon Campbell's Liberals lifted the moratorium the same year
when they were elected.

The number of grizzlies left in the province is also a matter of
dispute. While B.C. government officials claim there are as many as
17,000, conservation groups and independent scientists say the number is
closer to 4,000.

nread@png.canwest.com

[buckeye]

It's just another example of someone who is 8000 miles away thinks they know how to manage your wildlife better than you. The European Union should worry about their own wildlife, or at least whats left of it. They have done such a great job managing their own that they have little or no public land to view wildlife let alone hunt wild game unless of course you are one of the fortunate or wealthy. Hell, Europeans do not trust the Union. What makes the European Union believe that Canandians or Americans give 2 cents what they think? I'll put my trust in my local wildlife managers who I think have done a pretty good job over the last 30 years.

[claude]

I think we should start sending them a few of our problem bears I think
they would do quite well in the parks of london then they could see first
hand how cute and cuddly they really are

[Sako]

London... Na... Send them to Paris first.